Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puntarenas Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Puntarenas

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 12.5% more expensive than Puntarenas without rent, and 4.4% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 4.6% more expensive than Puntarenas without rent, and 11.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 MX$212

$7.32 ₡3,575

58.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42 MX$769

$60.4 ₡29.5K

-30.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.5 MX$192

$9.31 ₡4,550

12.78%

Cappuccino

$3.43 MX$62.8

$3.92 ₡1,913

-12.50%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 MX$27.34

$1.98 ₡969

-24.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 MX$17.27

$1.67 ₡814

-43.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$56.3

$2.9 ₡1,417

6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MX$79.9

$4.8 ₡2,345

-8.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$25.44

$1.98 ₡967

-29.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$33.81

$2.9 ₡1,415

-36.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 MX$28.88

$1.97 ₡963

-19.80%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$46

$2.26 ₡1,102

11.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$151

$3.48 ₡1,699

137.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.7 MX$159

$7.97 ₡3,896

9.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.73 MX$196

$9.03 ₡4,411

18.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 MX$47.74

$3.53 ₡1,724

-26.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$27.28

$0.94 ₡460

58.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.72

$1.17 ₡573

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.26

$1.4 ₡683

49.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.05

$1.53 ₡749

18.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.62

$1.56 ₡761

38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 MX$18.85

$0.83 ₡403

24.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.7

$1.98 ₡968

-45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 MX$75.9

$4.48 ₡2,190

-7.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.88 MX$163

$7.33 ₡3,582

21.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$30.64

$1.65 ₡805

1.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 MX$46.31

$2.35 ₡1,150

7.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.27

$0.94 ₡461

-45.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.68 MX$488

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 MX$59.7

$1.78 ₡867

83.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$45.94

$1.85 ₡905

35.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 MX$57.2

$7.97 ₡3,893

-60.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$23.96

$1.33 ₡648

-1.50%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.9K MX$565K

$38.4K ₡18.7M

-19.53%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.9K MX$436.9K

$17K ₡8.3M

40.35%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$83 MX$1,520

$48.93 ₡23.9K

69.67%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.59 MX$414

$20.05 ₡9,798

12.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.51 MX$540

$23.98 ₡11.7K

23.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 MX$944

$57.8 ₡28.2K

-10.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.42 MX$337

$23.54 ₡11.5K

-21.75%

Cinema Ticket

$4.9 MX$89.7

$10 ₡4,885

-51.00%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$200 MX$3,668

$575 ₡280.8K

-65.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,179 MX$94.8K

$12.5K ₡6.1M

-58.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.41 MX$667

$24.32 ₡11.9K

49.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.91 MX$731

$15.85 ₡7,745

151.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MX$1,462

$125 ₡61.3K

-36.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 MX$1,605

$48.11 ₡23.5K

82.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 MX$18K

$757 ₡369.8K

29.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 MX$8,612

$597 ₡291.7K

-21.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 MX$29.5K

$1,539 ₡751.6K

4.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 MX$21.8K

$950 ₡464.2K

25.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,839 MX$70.3K

$910 ₡444.6K

321.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,205 MX$113.6K

$603 ₡294.6K

929.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$724 MX$13.2K

$872 ₡426K

-17.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

90.33%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 30, 2025

Last update for Puntarenas: December 1, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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